Machine for knitting hosiery



Sept. 25,1945. H. E. WOODCOCK 2,385,572

' MACHINE FOR KNITTING HOSIERY Filed April 14, 1944 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inuenlof HER BERT Lwooococn,

- y AIIo rnEy Sept. 25, 1945. H. E. wooDcoc'K MACHINE F011 KNITTING HosIERY 5 sheets-Sheet 2' Filed April 14, 1944 K c o c D O 0 w E T R E B R E H Atlor Sgp't. 25, 1945. HQE. WooDcocK 5,6

MACHINE FOR KNITTING H'OSIERY 5 Sheets-She et 3 Filed April 14, 1944 I FIG]! FIIGB.

In ventor HERBERT E- WOODCOCK.

l Altorn Sept. 25, 1945. wo oococK 2,385,672 MACHINE FOR KNITTING HOSIERY Filed April 14, 1944 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 ,0 Inventor HERBERT E- WOODCOCK Sept. 25, 1945b H. 5. WOODCOCK MACHINE FOR KNITTING HOSIERY Filed A ril 14,1944 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Inventor HERBERT E.

WOODCOCK,

Atlorn ing to this invention;

Patented Sept. as, 1945 Application April 14, 1944, Serial No. 531,011 In Great Britain January 1, 1943 This invention concerns the manufacture, on

a Cottons Patent or other straight bar knitting machine, of a blank for a stocking or like article of footwear which has a foot resembling a French foot in that the foot top and the foot sole or bottom are knitted in one piece and the initial courses of the foot sole are united to the inner edges of the heel tabs. Hitherto the production of such blanks has necessitated the employment of two separate knitting machines; for

example it is known to knit the leg and foot on one machine and then to separate the terminal courses of the highheel parts from the initial courses of the foot sole and (after a running-on process) to knit the heel tabs on to said terminal courses on a second machine, the inner selvedge edges of the heel tabs being subsequently linked to said initial courses. It is an object of the present invention to eliminate this subsequent step of linking and more particularly'to provide a method and means whereby a blank, complete with heel tabs, is knitted on the one machine and the inner edges of the heel tabs are connected to the initial courses of the foot sole during manufacture.

The invention relates to the production of a stocking or like blank on a straight bar knitting machine, which comprises knitting the blank as far as the commencement of the heel. suspending knitting-on a central group of needles, continuing to knit the heel tabs on needles beyond the ends of said groups, periodically transferring at least the inner margins of the heel tabs outwards,

Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating the production of the blank therefor;

Figure 3 is a fabric diagram illustrating the sequence of courses in the production of one heel tab thereof;

Figures 4-, 5 and6 are views, similar to Figs. 1 to. 3 respectively, illustrating a modified construction:

Figures 7, 8 and 9 are diagrams illustrating transfer operations herein described while Figures 7a, 8a and 9a illustrate the movements of needles, points, and associated parts'during said operations:

it. Each transfer is preferably a two-needle V transfer.

The foregoing and other features of the invention'set out in the appended claims are incorporated in'the machine'which will now be described by wayof example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 shows the manner if desired.

Figure 10 is a cross section, through a Cottons Patent or other straight bar knitting machine according to this invention, showing the relevant parts;

Figure 11 is a cross section on a larger scale through the sinker head;

Figure 12 is a plan view, partly in section, of a part of the sinker head showing auxiliary presser mechanism:

Figure 13 is a front elevation of the needle bar, presser, points, and peaking blades, while Figure 14 illustrates mechanism for operating said blades.

Referring primarily to Figs. 1-3, the leg of the stocking or like blank is knitted in the usual manner down to the last course before the commencement of the heel tabs ht (i. e. as far as the line abba), the said leg being fashioned in the usual The instep needles corresponding to the width bb are now rendered inactive but are caused to hold their loops while the knitting of heel tabs ht proceeds on needles ab. After a predetermined number of courses, preferably three, all the loops of the last course of each heel tab are transferred outwardly, preferably by two needles. This brings two additional selvedge needles into operation at each outer selvege edge of the heel tabs; simultaneously the two needles at the inner edge of each tab are rendered inoperative but are caused to retain fabric. That is to say the width of the group of inactive fabric-holding needles is increased by four needles.

These operations are illustrated in Figs. 7 to 9 I knocking over bits I3, the points III descend at the plain side of their associated needles to pierce the fabric (Figs. 7 and 7a) and are then swung backwards into alignment with points II so that when the needles I0 ascend from below the knocking over bits I3 the active needles enter the loops on the points II while the two inactive .needles pierce the fabric offered'to them by the points III. It is immaterial whether the points III pierce the inner selvedge loops or whether,

, as illustrated in Fig. 8, they pierce the fabric at some other point since either will result in fabric being taken up by the ascending inactive needles.

This-three-course sequence of operations is repeated the appropriate number of times until the heel tabs ht are of the required length and until the number of inactive, fabric-holding, needles has been progressively increased, beyond that corresponding to the width bb to the required extent. It will be appreciated that although in Figs. 2 and 3 the inner margins of the heel tabs, whereat fabric is retained upon such added inactive needles, are shown as lying along the inclined lines be, this has been done merely for the sake of convenience in illustrating the heel tabs and that the added inactive needles are aligned with the inactive needles of width bb and consist of or include the needles of width ab. It will further be appreciated that when, after the completion of the heel tabs, the inactive fabric-holding needles are reintroduced into activity, not only is the instep or. top of the foot knitted on to the needles of width bb but the initial courses vof the foot bottoms .fb are knitted on to the inner edges of the heel tabs along the linesbc. The linking operation hereinbefore referred to is thereby obviated. 1

During the production of the heel tabs it is desirable to shape them at their outer selvedge edges. Therefore at a predeterminedintermediate stage in the manufacture of the heel tabs, such as that indicated at a. b, peaking blades ll are brought into operation to exclude from the transfefiperations of the points II the outer selvedge of each tab. These blades I4 operate in known manner as shieldsbetween the points and needles and thereby to prevent an outer group of each set of points II from operating. As a result, while the inner edge of each heel tab is inclined sideways the outer selvedge edge is not widened and. subsequent to the introduction of the peaking blades, the outer selvedge needle always remains the same and the progressive introduction of needies into activity at the outer selvedges ceases. These peaking blades maybe taken out of operation before the finish of the heel tabs,.in which case a few loose courses are then knitted at the end of each tab (as between 0' and c in Fig. 3) in order to permit the terminal courses of the heel tabs to be linked together. If it is desired to obviate this linking then the peaking blades are retained in operation until the completion of the tabs but, at a stage indicated at d on Figs.

4, 5, and 6, they are progressively shogged outwards so that'the needles knitting each tab are progressively reduced in number until all cease to operate and each heel tab is knitted to a point. It will be understood ,that the traverse of car.- riers that supply yarn for knitting the heel tabs is controlled by known mechanism. so that they supply yarn only to the required needles. Inner selvedge stops, and outer selvedge stops prior to the introduction of the peaking blades, are shifted in conformity with the racking of-the points II; after the peaking blades have been brought into operation the outer selvedge stops remain stationary.

The heel tabs being completed, thereafter all i the inactive, fabric retaining, needles are restored to activity and the foot is knitted, the initial courses of the foot being shown at the bottom of Figs. 3 and 6.

In order to render the needles of width bb inactive at the commencement'of the heel tabs, 9.

' special presser cam is brought into operation which does not bring the needle bar IIII sumciently far forward to press in the normal manner. The mechanism for effecting this modiflca tion in the pressing movements of the needles re-'- quires no illustration herein, but it may be mentioned that it is controlled by patterning mechanism indicated diagrammatically at I5 in 10.,

Simultaneously, at each end of the presser bar i! a portion thereof '(I'Ia, Ilb) is moved forward so that notwithstanding their modified pressing movements the heel tab needles of groups ab press thereon. Furthermore these auxiliary pressers IIa, IIb are racked outwards in conformity with the outward movement of the points II so that the width of the group of non-' pressing'needles' is progressively increased while simultaneously the auxiliary pressers Ila, Ilb

4o are positioned to operate on the added active needles at the outer selvedge of the heel tabs.

One form of auxiliary-presser mechanism is illustrated in Figs. 10 to 12. An actuating bar I8 is movable longitudinally in the sinker head 30 and is formed with two inclined portions I80 each co-operating with a ramp I9 on the respec- I tive auxiliary pressers I'la, IIb. This actuating bar I8 is given a considerable movement to the left, Fig. 12, .into the position shown in chain dotted lines. This movement of bar I8 is effected by rack and pinion mechanism 2'! operated from a cam on the main cam shaft I6. through connections 28 and is controlled by the patterning mechanism IS. The said movement causes the auxiliary pressers "a, I 1b to be advanced to their operative position and brings the ramps I9 on to straight parts I8b of said bar I8. The length of each straight part I81) is such that the ramps I9 travel therealong and hold the pressers IIa, IIb forward during the subsequent outward racking of the latter. Two rack bars 20a, 20b, one for each auxiliary presser, are slidably mounted in the sinker head 30 and are arranged to be racked .ing device IS. The mechanism 2} is provided with a handle 26 whereby the auxiliary pressers I'm, Ilb, may be wound inwards.

the associated wide set H and its narrow brass ill is slidable in a housing 33 pivoted at 3| to the brass of said wide set so as to be capable of swinging about a horizontal axis into and out of alignment with the points ll. These swinging movements are effected by a horizontal rod 35 received'in a vertical fork 36 of the top of each narrow brass Ill, said rod 35 being supported by arms 31 from a rock shaft 38. The vertical movements of points Ill, relative to points II,.

are controlled by'a horizontal rod 39 received on said rod I! being supported byarms ll from a rock shaft 42. These rock shafts 38 and 42 are rocked under the control of the patterning mechanism II by cams on the main cam shaft It: the rocking mechanism for shaft 38 is indicated at 43, 44, 45 and 46 and that for the shaft is substantially identical, part of it being shown at 46'.

The peaking blades II are pivoted on the rock shaft 42 and are swung thereon into and out of operative position by ramps 41 which co-operate with pegs 48 carried by arms 48 projecting from said shaft, there being one ramp 1 and associated parts for each blade I because, as hereinafter mentioned, the shaft 42 is divided into two parts. The ramps 41 are raised and lowered by mechanism, not shown, which is controlled by the device II and may comprise a truck lever and a cam on the cam shaft.

-a fork ill at the top of each narrow brass ill,

A form ofmechanism by which'the peaking blades It may be shogged outwards is diagram maticaily illustrated in Fig. 14. The two parts of the rock shaft 42 are spring-biased inwards to press against opposite flanks of a stepped tongue 50 -which is lowered step by step, to force'said rods and blades apart, by rack and pinion mechanism BI and a racking clawker it operated by any suitablemeans under the control of the device l5.

The yarn carriers and their operating mechanism are not illustrated since these parts are well understood. Finally, it maybe added that while on the production of the heel tabs it is convenient to employ a 3-course sequence and a 2-needle transfer, yet the sequence may be more or less than 3 courses and/or the transfer over more or less than 2 needles; furthermore, while the widening is best effected by a loop transfe1, it

.may be effected by any other means such for I claim:

' 1. In a straight bar knitting machine of the type organized for the production of stocking or like blanks with heel tabs. said machine being equipped with needles, including a central group of'instep needles, and with two sets of transfer points: the combination of means for temporarily suspending knitting operations on the instep needles while said needles continue to hold their loops and the knitting of heel tabs proceeds on needles beyond the ends of the group of inactive needles; means for operating the transfer points periodically to transfer progressively outwards at least the inner margins of the heel tabs; means for simultaneously making a corresponding increase in the number of temporarily-inactive needles that are comprised in the periodically widening central group; auxiliary points at the inner ends of the sets of transfer points; operating means for causing the auxiliary points to transflx the previously-knitted fabric at the plain side of the needles and to position it for reception by the needles that are progressively rendered inactive so that said needles thereafter retain fabric; and means for causing the needles of said widened-group to resume knitting, after the production of the desired heel tab length, and to produce further fabric the first course of which is united to the inner margins of the heel tabs.

2. In a machine according to claim 1 havingbearded needles, means for effecting said temporary suspension by preventing the appropriate needles from pressing.

3. A machine according to claim 1 being of the type having bearded needles and a presser therefor-and in which relative pressing movements occur between needles and presser, having in combination means for modifying the pressing movements; auxiliary pressers for the heel tab needles; and means for bringing said auxiliary pierced by the rising needles.

HERB

exampleasbyincreasingthe carriertraverseto feed yarn to added needles.

pressers into operation and for moving them outwards in conformity with the transfer operations to effect the aforesaid progressive increase in the number of temporarily-inactive needles.

4. A machine according to claim 1, having means mounting the auxiliary points for dipping and swinging movement independently of the transfer points. 1

5. A machine according" to claim 1, having means for moving the auxiliary points across the line of needles from the plain side to the other side thereof while the needles are in a lowered position and for thereby offering fabric to be 'r rznwan wooncocx. 

